"Learning another language is not

only learning different words for the

same things, but learning another
way to think about things."

Flora Lewis
Adjective Clauses
Prof. Mauricio Ramírez
Autonomous Combine two sentences into one. Use the second sentence
Task as the relative clause and punctuate if necessary.

• Salvador was founded in 1549. It has excellent examples of seventeenth- and

eighteenth-century colonial architecture.
• The carnival in Salvador is a popular Brazilian festival. It runs for several days.
• People often visit Kyoto in April. They can see the beautiful cherry blossoms in April.
• Seoul is well known for its shopping areas. Everything from antique pottery to
custom-made clothing can be found there.
• Kyoto has more than 60 museums. It is a major cultural center of Japan.
• New Orleans is located on the Mississippi River. It is well known for its steamboat
cruises.
• A favorite destination of jazz lovers is New Orleans. New Orleans made an important
contribution to the development of jazz in the late nineteenth century.
 Combine two sentences into one. Use the second sentence as Homework
the relative clause and punctuate if necessary. check
• Salvador, which was founded in 1549, has excellent examples of seventeenth- and
eighteenth-century colonial architecture.
• The carnival in Salvador is a popular Brazilian festival that runs for several days.
• People often visit Kyoto in April, when they can see the beautiful cherry blossoms.
• Seoul is well known for its shopping areas, where everything from antique pottery to
custom-made clothing can be found.
• Kyoto, which is a major cultural center of Japan, has more than 60 museums.
• New Orleans is located on the Mississippi River, which is well known for its steamboat cruises.
• A favorite destination of jazz lovers is New Orleans, which made an important contribution to
the development of jazz in the late nineteenth century.
 An adjective clause (also called a relative
clause) is a type of dependent clause that
describes a noun. They usually begin with a
relative pronoun and can also modify an entire
sentence or indicate possession or an amount.

what
Relative Pronouns
Modified Noun Relative Pronoun Example

The students who did not show up last class can

Person who, whom, that, Ø
request for the video by e-mail.
The Coffee Growing Axis Earthquake, which took place
Thing which, that, Ø
in 1999, caused an untold amount of destruction.
Place where, which, that, Ø Cartago is the city where Julián de la Torre grew up.

Alejandro will never forget the day when he returned to

Time when, which, that, Ø
Colombia.
The man whose dog is always barking refuses to listen
Possession whose
to my complains.
Quantity word + of + Dayana has had four cellphones, one of which she
Amount
whom/which forgot on a bus.
Formality
scales
 Formality Scales
The choice of relative pronoun depends on two things:

1. Whether it’s the subject or the object of the adjective clause.

2. The formality of the spoken or written sentence.

Important
When you speak or write in English, decide
how formal the situation is and then choose an
appropriate pronoun. For example, in an academic
essay, use the most formal pronoun, but when speaking
to or texting with a friend, use the least formal one.
1. People
Formality
scales
Relative Pronoun as a Subject
Relative
Formality Example
Pronoun

The man who is standing by the door

Formal who was my teacher in elementary school.

Informal that The man that is standing by the door

was my teacher in elementary school.
2. People
Formality
scales
Relative Pronoun as an Object
Relative
Formality Example
Pronoun

Formal The woman whom I met yesterday was kind.

Whom
Who The woman who I met yesterday was kind.

That The woman that I met yesterday was kind.

Informal Ø The woman I met yesterday was kind.

 Note #1
Adjective clauses that begin with whom
are very formal and not used very
often. They are occasionally used for
formal writing or speaking (academic,
legal, etc.).
3. Things
Formality
scales
Relative Pronoun as a Subject
Relative
Formality Example
Pronoun

Formal The Titanic, which is my favorite movie, stars

Which Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet.

That The only horror movie that was playing at

Informal
Cinemark last February was great.
4. Things
Formality
scales
Relative Pronoun as an Object
Relative
Formality Example
Pronoun

Formal Which
The DaVinci Code, which I read last year, was a good book.
That
The book that I read last year was good.

Ø
Informal The book I read last year was good.
5. Places
Formality
scales
Relative Pronoun as a Subject
Relative
Formality Example
Pronoun
Formal
Which
France, which is famous for wine, is located in Europe.
That
A country that is famous for wine is France.
Informal
6. Places
Formality
scales
Relative Pronoun as an Object
Relative
Formality Example
Pronoun

Formal in
at which The city in which I live is very crowded.

Which Hong Kong, which I’d like to visit some day, is very crowded.

The city that I live in is very crowded.

That
Informal The city I live in is very crowded.
Ø
 Note #2
Relative
Formality Example
Pronoun

Any situation Where The city where I live is very crowded

7. Time
Formality
scales
Relative Pronoun as a Subject
Relative
Formality Example
Pronoun
Formal rd
September 3 , which is my favorite day of the
Which
whole year, is my birthday.

The day that is my favorite of the whole year

That rd
Informal September 3 .
8. Time
Formality
scales
Relative Pronoun as an Object
Relative
Formality Example
Pronoun

Formal in Midnight is the hour at which I like to go to bed.

at which
Midnight, which is also called the witching hour, is the time I
Which go to bed.
That Midnight is the time that I like to go to bed.
Informal
Ø Midnight is the time I like to go to bed.
 Note #3
Relative
Formality Example
Pronoun

Any situation When Midnight is the time when I like to go to bed.

 Note #3
Adjective clauses for places and time that
begin with preposition + which are very
formal and not used very often. They
are ocassionally used for formal writing
or speaking ( academic, legal, etc.).
Punctuation
rules
 Restrictive adjective clauses, also called defining
adjective clauses, provide information that is necessary
to define a noun. In other words, we wouldn’t know
which noun someone was talking about without this
clause to explain it. The subject or object nouns being
modified are usually common nouns that are preceded
by the article “the.” These types of clauses don’t
require a comma.

• The movie that I watched last night was really good.

• I recommend talking to the person who is in charge of admissions.
• The town where I grew up is full of interesting people.

Restrictive
clauses
 Non-Restrictive adjective clauses, also called non-
defining adjective clauses, add extra information to a
noun. The information in this type of clause is not
necessary to define the noun. The subject or object
nouns being modified are usually proper nouns that
are capitalized. There types of clauses require a
comma.

• Ana recommended Avengers: Endgame, which she watched last night.

• My brother, who works at a vet’s office, likes dogs more than cats.
• Madrid, where I went in 2017, has many famous sightseeing spots.

Non-Restrictive
clauses
 Cultural Notes

When modifying a subject or The verb in the adjective clause

object noun that is a thing in must agree in number with the
American and Canadian English, noun it modifies in both
“which” is preferred in restrictive restrictive and non-restrictive
clauses and “that” is preferred clauses.
in non-restrictive clauses,
regardless of formality.
• Anyone who is present at the
meeting will get to vote.
• My classmates, who are
intelligent people, all passed
the final exam.
Quick Task
Read the following sentences and analyze differences in levels of formality.
Label the sentences in each group from 1 (most formal) to 4–5 (least formal).

1
______ The man about whom I was informing you is sitting in the corner.

5
______ The woman I was talking about is wearing the red dress.

4
______ The guy that I was telling you about is dating my friend.

3
______ The girl who I told you about works with me.

2
______ The person whom I spoke about is my boss.